Setting out with the motto "We will not allow a return from Lausanne to Sèvres," the Second Kuvayımilliyeciler gathered at Ulus Square in Ankara on the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Citizens who assembled to march from the First Parliament to Anıtkabir chanted slogans such as "Mustafa Kemal is immortal," "Independence or death, a fully independent Turkey," and "Independence is our character."
'WE REJECT IT'
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Saltık, a member of the call committee, stated, "With the Republic, we ceased to be a herd. We became free, honorable, equal before the law, and proud citizens of the Republic." Noting that he warns the politicians who put the Republic in the face of threats before history, Saltık said, "We do not approve of these policies; we reject them."
'WE WILL CARRY IT FORWARD'
Ali Rıza Küçükosmanoğlu, Chairman of the Nakliyat-İş Union, said, "We will carry our Republic and our War of Independence further by protecting them against those who are hostile to the Republic. As the Second Kuvayımilliyeciler, we have the responsibility to wage such a struggle."
Touching upon the importance of the Soviet Union in the founding of the Republic of Turkey, Küçükosmanoğlu stated, "One of the most important reasons for the victory of our War of Independence was the October Revolution led by Lenin. The victory was achieved through the solidarity of the two countries."
'WE MUST CREATE A FULLY INDEPENDENT COUNTRY'
Attorney Tacettin Çolak said, "Our country has been brought to the brink of entering a war with its neighbors. The Mecca Agreement is an example of this. A government that has surrendered to imperialism is calculating to drag us into a war with our neighbors in an unbridled manner. We must create a fully independent country. This is the duty that falls upon us."
'WE ARE THE CONTINUERS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE'
Making statements in front of Anıtkabir, Attorney Sait Kıran said, "As the Second Kuvayımilliyeciler, we are celebrating our Republic Day. We are the continuers of the War of Independence, which was the first victory in the world against imperialists."
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
On August 30 Victory Day, a group of intellectuals, academics, artists, and representatives of mass organizations had published a joint declaration titled "The Call of the Second Kuvayımilliyeciler," inviting citizens to an anti-imperialist struggle.
The call committee included: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Saltık (Physician, Jurist), Ali Rıza Küçükosmanoğlu (Chairman of DİSK Nakliyat-İş Union), Doğan Yücel, Ergün Poyraz (Author), Prof. Dr. Ercan Küçükosmanoğlu (Medical Doctor, Unionist), Hikmet Molu (President of the Women and Struggle Association), İsmail Hakkı Demircioğlu (Artist), Mustafa Hüsnü Bozkurt (President of the Atatürkist Thought Association), Müjdat Gezen (Artist), Attorney Ömer Faruk Eminağaoğlu (Founding President of YARSAV), Prof. Dr. Özler Çakır (Educational Scientist), Suay Karaman (Academic, Author, Secretary General of TÜMOD), and Ümit Yalım (Retired Staff Colonel, Former Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defense).
News Source: Cenk Başboğaoğlu
